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my mice
Dec 20, 2010 23:02:30 GMT -5
Post by pastelsummer on Dec 20, 2010 23:02:30 GMT -5
DUDE male mice STINK!!!!!!! Oh my i wanna gag when i clean his cage and i keep it cleaned every 2-3 days. The females are not as bad but that mle is nasty anyway here is a pic of my setup for the mice oh and sissy picked out the boy cage because it had dora stuff. SO she got the dora stuff (it was for a hermit crab) and the cage went to gene
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my mice
Dec 20, 2010 23:18:05 GMT -5
Post by Heather on Dec 20, 2010 23:18:05 GMT -5
Mice stink...that's why they've been relegated to the basement . ciao
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my mice
Dec 20, 2010 23:31:05 GMT -5
Post by pastelsummer on Dec 20, 2010 23:31:05 GMT -5
i dont have a basement but i may send them to the laundry room. Or at least the male he is the worst of all
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my mice
Dec 21, 2010 2:13:29 GMT -5
Post by bluemoose on Dec 21, 2010 2:13:29 GMT -5
I always heard male mice stink but I've never noticed anything with mine other than a normal mouse smell. I have all my feeders in one cage and two cages with breeders (1 male and 4-5 females per cage). At one point the feeder cage was all males and I still didn't notice a smell. I only clean the cages every 1-2 weeks depending on how many mice are in them. Maybe it's because you keep them in a tank? The ventilation in tanks is pretty terrible so it might be trapping all the stink. Mine have cages like this: www.critter-cages.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=40 I still keep them in their own room so the ferrets don't break in and eat them prematurely but I don't have any complaints about odor.
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my mice
Dec 21, 2010 9:24:13 GMT -5
Post by Kerit on Dec 21, 2010 9:24:13 GMT -5
What are you using for bedding? When I had mice, I did have mine in a tank, but I added several inches of Eco Earth coconut husk soil. It really kept the overall odor down, and when they had the ability to dig their own burrows, it seemed to me like they dug themselves a "bathroom" and used it. If I could figure out which corner they were mostly using, I could scoop just that out and leave the rest a little longer. Honestly, I could go weeks between full changes. When I used shavings or paper bedding, it would smell within days. Eco Earth -- www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=6494There are other brands of coconut husk bedding, but that one's my favorite. Oh, and Bluemoose... I would loooove to have a rack of those breeder cages! That's really the way to go for mouse production.
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my mice
Dec 21, 2010 10:55:52 GMT -5
Post by goingpostal on Dec 21, 2010 10:55:52 GMT -5
I use wood pellets and sprinkle arm and hammer in the tank when I clean it out, they stink bad on wood shavings, I put in a little for nesting but mainly give them cardboard things to chew up and shred. Males are nasty, some worse than others, I feed off ones that are pissing monsters and keep the cleaner ones.
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my mice
Dec 22, 2010 2:49:27 GMT -5
Post by bluemoose on Dec 22, 2010 2:49:27 GMT -5
Yeah I love those cages. They're are a little pricey but if you're planning to breed for a long time, they're definitely worth it. So easy to feed, water, clean, and keep clean. Before I had the breeder cages the mice were constantly dirtying the food and water and I had to give them fresh all the time. So you actually save money because there's less food waste. Plus they're super easy to rinse out which of course helps keep odor down.
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candiceboggs
Going Natural
Ferrets are nature's anti-depressant.
Posts: 187
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my mice
Dec 22, 2010 4:12:51 GMT -5
Post by candiceboggs on Dec 22, 2010 4:12:51 GMT -5
I keep pet mice, and I use a terrarium as well simply as any housing for pet and non-breeder animals that has wires they can wiggle their tiny, acrobatic little bodies through (and more than once that has meant an unfortunate one has been caught by a cat of mine, hence my switch of cages). Once to twice a week I take everything out and toss a good amount of vinegar, about 1/4 cup or less (have also used bleach in the past, you just have to rinse really well afterwards, vinegar is safer though) and fill it close to the top with water, then let that sit for 20 minutes. It gets rid of any odors immediately. After drying and replacing the bedding if you sprinkle a tiny smidgeon of their old bedding the mouse/mice will less likely want to work on making their territory more pungent. Also, I hate Carefresh, it only locks in ammonia odors. I now use Aspen, no pine, no cedar (causes respiratory problems big-time). Aspen has always worked pretty well for me though I'm sure there are recycled pellet/tissue papers besides Carefresh that work. I also always freeze my bedding for three days before using it due to mites getting in any kind of bedding you buy. Probably all stuff you've heard before, but hope it might help.
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my mice
Dec 25, 2010 3:35:42 GMT -5
Post by katt on Dec 25, 2010 3:35:42 GMT -5
I have had some REALLY smelly males and some that are less so. I use carefresh Ultra. It's the white stuff. It works way beter than regular carefresh. I also keep the mice in the bathroom so we don't have to deal with the smell elsewhere.
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candiceboggs
Going Natural
Ferrets are nature's anti-depressant.
Posts: 187
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my mice
Jan 14, 2011 1:25:10 GMT -5
Post by candiceboggs on Jan 14, 2011 1:25:10 GMT -5
I use carefresh Ultra. It's the white stuff. It works way beter than regular carefresh. I should've said that I used Carefresh Ultra when I used Carefresh at all. It did a HORRIBLE job for me, the odor was awful - I was gagging, and I just have one girl. The Aspen was recommended to me by a mouse and rat breeder, I had been skeptical because I've heard of wood chips getting stuck in eyes, but he said that had only ever happened to him with his hairless varieties. The Aspen I can buy in a huge bale-size package and it lasts me for months even though I change cages 3 times a week. The odor is like nothing now.
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my mice
Jan 14, 2011 4:05:28 GMT -5
Post by katt on Jan 14, 2011 4:05:28 GMT -5
I use carefresh Ultra. It's the white stuff. It works way beter than regular carefresh. I should've said that I used Carefresh Ultra when I used Carefresh at all. It did a HORRIBLE job for me, the odor was awful - I was gagging, and I just have one girl. The Aspen was recommended to me by a mouse and rat breeder, I had been skeptical because I've heard of wood chips getting stuck in eyes, but he said that had only ever happened to him with his hairless varieties. The Aspen I can buy in a huge bale-size package and it lasts me for months even though I change cages 3 times a week. The odor is like nothing now. Really? Maybe I will give that a try.... How many mice in a cage? MY roommate said that the aspen doesn't really do much of anything for the smell. But then, she doesn't always know what she is talking about either. So you think that, even with a LARGE group of males and females, that Aspen is better at controlling smell? Do you need to clean it more often or less often? With the carefresh I only need to change it every 2 weeks or so. I put a LOT in the cage though too...
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my mice
Jan 14, 2011 4:30:25 GMT -5
Post by bluemoose on Jan 14, 2011 4:30:25 GMT -5
I use aspen also. I've used it for mice, rats, and rabbits and I've never had an issue with that eye thing. I suppose it's possible but fairly unlikely.
I think it controls the odor well and it's cheaper than Carefresh. For some reason I just find that stuff to be gross.
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candiceboggs
Going Natural
Ferrets are nature's anti-depressant.
Posts: 187
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my mice
Jan 14, 2011 4:56:21 GMT -5
Post by candiceboggs on Jan 14, 2011 4:56:21 GMT -5
I should've said that I used Carefresh Ultra when I used Carefresh at all. It did a HORRIBLE job for me, the odor was awful - I was gagging, and I just have one girl. The Aspen was recommended to me by a mouse and rat breeder, I had been skeptical because I've heard of wood chips getting stuck in eyes, but he said that had only ever happened to him with his hairless varieties. The Aspen I can buy in a huge bale-size package and it lasts me for months even though I change cages 3 times a week. The odor is like nothing now. Really? Maybe I will give that a try.... How many mice in a cage? MY roommate said that the aspen doesn't really do much of anything for the smell. But then, she doesn't always know what she is talking about either. So you think that, even with a LARGE group of males and females, that Aspen is better at controlling smell? Do you need to clean it more often or less often? With the carefresh I only need to change it every 2 weeks or so. I put a LOT in the cage though too... The more mice you have the more often you'll need to change the bedding. If you only have a couple once a week can be sufficient but because respiratory problems (particularly mycoplasma) is so inherent in feeder and Fancy Mice when sourced from pet stores (rodent mills) doing it at least twice a week not only helps with the odor but it brings the ammonia down so they can breathe easier. If I could use a better-ventilated cage I wouldn't have to change it so often but I'm forced to use a secure latch-lid terrarium because a mouse can squeeze through a 1/4 inch opening. I've found this out the hard way. I get this huge bale thing of Aspen from PetSmart for $12. Not bad, when you can get the teeniest cube of Carefresh Ultra for that, or $15, and there's only enough in it for two uses. I do feel Aspen is better than any Carefresh product out there as I tried them all. My exotics vet hates it also, when I mentioned it and that I freeze my bedding for 3 days before using to kill mites she was pleased and she agreed saying that Carefresh doesn't reduce odor, it locks it in.
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my mice
Jan 14, 2011 5:45:19 GMT -5
Post by katt on Jan 14, 2011 5:45:19 GMT -5
Interesting! thanks guys! Yaaay for saving $$$$! Haha
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